In the Dark
Things Get Gloomy at Wrigley

Jonathan Daniel/Allsport

It was lights out on the North Side last night, as the Dodgers' offense was simply too hot to handle and LA let it roll with a 8-5 win. The big story of the night happened in the fourth inning, when the lights went black and and darkened the stadium for 18 minutes. But the lights didn't help the Cubs even when they were on, as the defense hit rock bottom with three errors. The Cubs offense mostly came off the bench, with Xavier Nady hitting a solo pinch homer and Jeff Baker swatting a two-run pinch triple. But it was for naught, as Tom Gorzelanny allowed five earned runs in five innings and the Cubs went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

ESPN Chicago: Billingsley, Loney lead Dodgers past Cubs [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs' Gorzelanny rocked in 8-5 loss
MLB: Gorzelanny struggles in loss to Dodgers [+ video]
Daily Herald: Cubs make it a game after falling way behind...

The Bullpen Beckons
Poor Outing Might Have Sealed Gorzelanny's Fate
Of all the games for Tom Gorzelanny to lose it, last night was one of the worst times possible. In an uncharacteristically rough outing, the lefty gave up seven runs (five earned) and lasted only five innings. He'd given up fewer than two runs in six of his first eight starts. And with Zambrano coming back to the rotation, something's gotta give, so last night's game might have been Gorzo's last time starting. But Gorzellany, whose first child was born less than a week ago, isn't going down without a fight: "I feel like I've pitched well enough overall this year to be in the rotation."

A League of Her Own: Gorzelanny makes bid for bullpen
Chicago Sun-Times: Gorzellany on bump

Cubs = Hawks? Maybe...
The North Siders Kinda Resemble Stanley-Cup Bound Team
It's great to see a long-suffering Chicago team make it to the Promised Land, even if it's the Hawks and not the Cubs. But according to a few articles out there, the two teams have a fair amount in common. For starters, The Wall Street Journal notes both have been afflicted with "curses": The Blackhawks with an ill-conceived billboard that featured star Jonathan Toews with the Stanley Cup in the background, and the Cubs with that freaking goat. Agony & Ivy points out other more light-hearted similarities, such as how both the mustache of Hawks' coach Joel Quenneville and the belly of Lou Piniella have taken on lives of their own.

Wall Street Journal: Nobody does jinxes quite like Chicago
Agony and Ivy: Cubs vs. Hawks

Low Friends in High Places
Deadspin Founder's Buddy Gives Insight into Cubs
Will Leitch, the founder of renowned sports site Deadspin, has written an entire book about watching one 2008 game between the Cubs and Cardinals. Sounds boring, perhaps, but Leitch is a remarkably talented writer, so we're thinking it will rock. He watched the game with his father and longtime best friend Mike Cetera, and now Leitch interviews Cetera for Deadspin to get his take on the North Siders. In the chat, journalist Cetera gives some strong insight into the Cubs, saying the team is "in a tough position with high-priced untradeable parts like Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano." But there is a bright side: "At least this team isn't as full of jerks as was the 2005 team."

*Will Leitch discusses his new book, Are We Winning?, at The Book Cellar on Friday, May 28 at 7pm (4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago)

Deadspin: An interview with Mike Cetera, my literary Cubs foil

'Let's Play Two!'
The Real Story Behind Ernie's Famous Quote
Man does not live by Cubs news alone. So every now and then, we'll run a story that's worth reading on its own. Maybe it's about the Cubs, maybe not. Maybe it's about sports, maybe not. Today, we learn the true story about Ernie Banks' iconic "Let's play two!" quote. "If it is not the best known quote in all baseball, it is close," says author Glenn Stout, who dug into the quote's origins in his comprehensive book, "The Cubs." Turns out even Mr. Cub isn't sure when he uttered the famous line. Stout, who also edits the annual The Best American Sports Writing anthology, finds the likely date, but concludes, "even if he never uttered [these words] at all, the sentiment represented by the way the phrase is used today is all that really matters," he says.

Excerpt from 'The Cubs': The true story of 'Let's play two'

Want to win some cool Cubs-oriented stuff? Enter the contest at View from the Bleachers and make some predictions for the team in June... The Cubs have begun a new recycling program, so you boozehounds who think it's cool to amass several empty beer cups at the game can now recycle them while impressing everyone with your feats of imbibing... After five years, it's been decided that Sammy Sosa will not face perjury charges for his "What is this English that you speak?" steroid testimony before Congress in 2005.

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